Category Archives: Suspense

Crime, Genre, Hindi Movies, Rating, Reviews, Suspense, Thriller, Worth a Watch

Andhadhun Review

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Andhadhun Review – Andhadhun is an Indian crime thriller released in 2018. Aakash a pianist who pretends to be blind witnesses the murder of a famous film star, what unfolds next is the plot of Andhadhun.

Director Sriram Raghavan has sketched yet another gripping dark tale with suspense weaved in, that makes it an interesting watch. The story starts with the narration of the protagonist about the events that had happened in the past. Sriram has teased with the usual twists in a typical thriller much ahead in the movie giving you the sense of wondering is what is left. As you begin to wonder what would be left, the movie takes unexpected turns and goes deep down a rabbit hole of complex knots, that makes it more interesting. Ayushman Khuranna and Tabu play a pivotal role in the movie. Tabu has played a badass character with so much ease. The entire sequence at the house of Ayushman Khuranna is one of the brilliantly scripted scenes in the movie. The script reveals the truth at the right moments of time leading to a very engaging climax.

The movie opens with thanking Chitra Geet and Chitra Haar for entertaining us for a long time and ends with the great piano sequences from yesteryear bollywood movie. The music from Amit Trivedi stays up in the game and forms the soul of the movie.

High Points: The script is the strength of the movie, the performances of Tabu and Ayushman Khurana stand out very well, the art design of the locations add to the aesthetic flair of the movie. The background score and songs of Amit Trivedi lightens up even a dull scene.

Low Points: The only weak point of the script is Radhika Apte’s character. It is too shallow and forms too irrelevant for the plot to move forward. 

Overall Andhadhun is a very gripping dark crime thriller that would entertain you. It may not be the movie of epic scale but still would join the list of well written and made dark crime thrillers in Bollywood. This is now available on Netflix.

Worth a Watch

English Movies, Genre, Rating, Reviews, Suspense, Thriller, Worth a Watch

The Girl on the Train Review

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The Girl on the Train Review – The Girl on the Train is an English mystery thriller released in 2016. The movie is based on the novel of the same name written by Paula Hawkins. A woman becomes an alcoholic post the separation from her husband. In her daily commute to New York by train, she sees an attractive couple residing in the neighborhood of her ex-husband. The everyday glimpses of their life catch her attention that it soon it turns into an obsession.

I haven’t read the novel. However seeing how the movie goes I believe the movie has done proper justice to the novel. Director Tate Taylor has given life to the characters in the novel. The movie starts with a bang. While the lead lady gets curious about a couple, the audience gets curious about the lady herself. Post the initial establishment of the character the pace takes a nose dive and moves at a snail pace till a major turning point around 30 minutes into the movie that shakes things up and we are glued to the screen once again. From then on it is a very thrilling ride. Although I could predict the ending, I still loved the way the movie has been shot and enjoyed watching it.

Emily Blunt has played the role of an alcohol addict very well. We travel and see things in her perspective throughout the movie.

High Points: The plot of the movie is engaging, the performance of Emily Blunt, the suspense is held throughout.

Low Points: The initial 30 minutes of the movie is slow, however, the remaining 90 minutes make up for it. The role of the detective didn’t gel well in the movie. I believe in the novel the character might have been explained better.

Overall if you love mystery thrillers you can’t miss The Girl on the Train.

Worth a Watch

 

English Movies, Genre, Rating, Reviews, Suspense, Thriller, Worth a Watch

The Accountant Review

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The Accountant Review – The Accountant is an American thriller released in 2016. Christian Wolfe is a mathematical genius who works to resolve financial deceptions in major criminal organizations. Christian is pursued by Raymond King, the director of financial crime from the treasury department.

The lead role is the one tailor-made for Ben Affleck and he does a very good job. The movie is intense from the start and it does have some cleverly placed lighter moments in between. The movie also has a strong statement against how the society treats kids with autism.  There is a gang in Rotten tomatoes who are a victim of favoritism and rate down some good movies. The Accountant is one such movie which suffers this criticism. The movie is much better than those critics have rated it.

The characterization of Christian Wolfe has been crafted well and is an interesting one to watch. It connects well with the audience throughout. J.K Simmons, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Anna Kendrick and John Bernthal have supported well. The editing is a great strength to the movie that deals with different timelines run in parallel. The most enjoyable sequence is the climax when things are uncovered and his interaction with “The Assasin”. This is not a movie where the climax reveals everything but throughout the movie, there are many revelations planted.

High Points: The Script and the characterization of Ben Affleck, The interaction between Ben Affleck and Anna Kendrick, The interaction between Ben Affleck and John Bernthal, the climax.

Low Points: There is no moral line to the whole story of what is good and what is evil. So few of the audience who are searching for it would be disappointed.

Overall, The Accountant is yet another Ben Affleck movie that would be worth a visit to the theaters.  Don’t worry about the negative critic reviews you would enjoy watching this one for sure.

Worth a Watch

 

Genre, Must Watch, Rating, Reviews, Suspense, Tamil Movies, Thriller

Kuttrame Thandanai Review

Kuttrame Thandanai Review – Kuttrame Thandanai is a Tamil psycho thriller released in 2016. A man suffering from tunnel vision discovers he would lose his sight over time. He happens to be a witness of a possible suspect in the murder of a girl in his neighborhood.

This is the second movie of director M. Manikandan after the critically acclaimed Kakka Muttai. This is a new genre and apparently this happens to be the movie he had committed before Kakka Muttai. This is a different genre, yet revolves around the desperation of an individual. In this case the desperation of getting his sight back.

There are no songs in the movie which is a welcome change amidst of the commercial frenzy films. In  thrillers, the success and engagement depend on how well the final climax is hidden from the audience. Unfortunately, I was able to predict it much earlier. Nevertheless, the movie was engaging throughout and fortunately the climax was not about solving the mystery which made it more interesting.

The visuals and the backdrop of the apartment have been done well and suit the tone of the movie.  Vidharth has performed his role very well as he had done in Aal.  Usually to reflect the inner conscious screenplay writers employ the same character image talking to him however in this the character of Nasser is brilliantly planted in the script which does the job for the director.

High Points: Song free thriller, Visuals, Characterization, Vidharth’s performance. The short run time of the movie.

Low Points: Part of the end had been predictable at least for me. Few folks may not like the climax.

Overall movies like Kuttrame Thandanai pushes the standard of story telling and movie making to a new level and continues to prove it is not just about high bankrolling projects and popular star cast alone. This is a must watch for the love of movies.

Must Watch

Crime, Drama, Genre, Korean Movies, Must Watch, Rating, Reviews, Suspense

Mother Review

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Mother Review – Mother aka Madeo is a South Korean crime mystery released in 2009. A mother has to find the killer of a girl murdered in the neighborhood to save her son from being convicted for the murder.

The premise is very interesting and is set in a small town in South Korea. Director Bong Joon-ho yet again comes up with a brilliant script with full of suspense and mystery around a crime after his Memories of Murder. A mother’s love towards her son is universal. How far a mother would go in order to save her son when all the odds are pointing against him is a very interesting plot line. The screenplay is very intense and starts getting gripping once the mother start her journey of finding the killer. The opening shot of the movie itself is a brilliant one and keeps you interested till the end. Kim Hye-ja has performed the role very well and is the backbone of the movie.

The scene in which she is trying to hide in one of the suspect’s house to take an evidence of crime and the attitude in her walks is simply amazing. The entire scene is very gripping. She can turn her expression from anger to guilt to love in seconds. The suspense is maintained till the end of the movie and the ending is just brilliant. I had a very long reflection process after watching this movie. It was quiet overwhelming for me to see the ending anything I speak about it I would give the movie away.

High Points: The screenplay of the movie, acting performance by Kim Hye-ja, gripping moments, background score

Low Points: There are no much low points. I felt the script was bit longer for its content.

Overall the movie is brilliant and is very different from the movie you would have seen. Watch it for the unique script and power packed performance by Kim Hye-ja. This is a must watch for all suspense thriller fans.

Must Watch

Action, Genre, Rating, Reviews, Suspense, Tamil Movies, Thriller, Wait for DVD/TV

Aal Review

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Aal Review – Aal is a Tamil action thriller released in 2014. This movie is an adaptation of the Hindi movie Aamir released in 2008. Amir is settled well in his life happily. But one day he finds his family held as a hostage and he would need to follow instructions from some unknown person on phone to save them.

The movie states itself to be an adaptation of the Bollywood movie which is good and if you have seen the original you know what to expect from this movie. However there have been some minor variations in this script. The plot of the movie itself would connect only to a niche audience. If you see from the plot perspective and how the movie is executed it has been done well. Debutant director Aanand Krishna has done a good job with the adaptation. The most striking feature of the movie is the environment in which it is shot. It covers many of the below poverty line locality where the meaning of life is much different than the one you see in the middle class or upper middle class locality. This is very apt to suit the mood of both the movie and the main protagonist who is a middle class person. The movie opens at Elephant Gate (Yaanai Kavuni) in Chennai where a chase sequence is shown. This is done very well. So is the entire Chennai portion of the movie which is covered in similar areas.

Vidharth has done justice to his character. He looks stylish in this movie and as the movie builds up his character transforms into a desperate, confused individual. Songs are few in this movie and good that they haven’t used it during the main portion of the movie which otherwise would have been a major distraction. The love angle to Vidharth doesn’t seem to fit very well and barely has a significant connect to the plot. The dialogues are just about average. For a script of this stature some powerful dialogues could have proved to be a plus point.

Overall Aal is a decent adaptation of its original. But for a few flaws the movie is definitely gripping and the way the environment itself is used as a character in the movie is very good. You can watch this one at home.

Wait for DVD/TV

Genre, Rating, Reviews, Suspense, Tamil Movies, Thriller, Wait for DVD/TV

Athithi

Athithi – is a Tamil suspense thriller released in 2014.  Madhiazhagan, Vasuki and their kid lead a very happy life. One day they give lift to an unknown person in their car and things take an unusual turn. They learn their daughter is being held hostage and they are held hostage in their car and are forced to do things the stranger demands.

The movie is mostly engaging in parts and the plot promises to be an edge of the seat thriller. The premise for the whole story is a very promising one and when the story reaches its main premise you would find this to be a very engaging movie and would demand your attention. However the situations leading to the main plot is not buildup well. Due to this what could have been a very engaging movie falls short. The buildup of characters is disconnected to the main plot. There have been deliberate attempts to distract the audience from finding out the motive. In the end as it is not related they seem to be out of place for the story. During the abduction episode in many places the real panic, fear and hurry is not seen with the characters which is not a natural reaction. The scene in which Nanda has to leave a suitcase in the bus stand within 20 minutes, the whole sequence is very relaxed and does not thrill. The comedy portion and songs in the movie is a wholesome distraction to the genre of the movie. Director Bharhathan has tried to stuff in messages against the economic differences in the society which is not needed. The movie needed a bold ending to create an impact but ends up with an average ending.

Overall this one is definitely engaging in parts and can be watched at home if you have nothing else to watch.

Wait for DVD/TV – for a promising premise

Drama, Genre, Korean Movies, Must Watch, Rating, Reviews, Suspense, Thriller

Old Boy

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Old Boy – is a South Korean suspense thriller movie released in 2003. A man named Oh Dae-su is abducted and imprisoned in a dark room for 15 years. In the meantime he learns his wife is murdered, he is the prime suspect for the murder and his daughter is adopted by a Swedish family. After 15 years he is released on the roof top of a tall building. He is out to find the reason why he has been tortured to this extent and vows to take revenge on his abductor.

The movie is known for its unique plot. It is strictly for mature audience for its content and it is gross in parts. The tone has been set like that to give the impact of the torturous life the lead character has gone through. As the movie progresses Oh Dae-su discovers the identity of the kidnapper and the story unfolds. The screenplay is done brilliantly and the climax would leave you dumb stuck. It is a movie that has the potential of keeping you disturbed and at the same time give a feeling of having watched a brilliant movie. The plot of keeping a man abducted in an unknown room for unknown reason has been used in various movies which had released later including the recent Tamil movie Ivan Vera Mathiri. Overall this is a must watch if you have open mindedness and have a strong heart.

Must Watch – not for the weak hearted

English Movies, Genre, Must Watch, Rating, Reviews, Suspense, Thriller

Rope

Rope – is an English suspense thriller released in 1948. Two friends commit a murder of another friend just for the pleasure of committing a murder and on the same eve with his body still in their apartment they host a party to the dead man’s family and few of their common friends. The movie is directed by Hitchcock based on a play by Patrick Hamilton

The movie has the usual element of suspense that you would see in a Hitchcock movie. But the specialty of this movie is such that the entire movie seems to be taken of a single continuous shot. There is a peculiar party thrown in celebration of a murder committed by two men. What happens through the party is the rest of the movie. The movie has some wonderful performances, great dialogues and good use of props. The set is extremely detailed. Overall a thrilling screenplay makes this movie a compelling watch.

Must Watch

Genre, Rating, Reviews, Suspense, Tamil Movies, Thriller, Worth a Watch

Thegidi

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Thegidi – is a Tamil suspense thriller released in 2014. An amateur detective is assigned the job to do background verification of people. He falls in love with one of the girl for whom he is doing background verification. Soon he finds people whom he had verified die mysteriously in accidents. Thegidi is a journey of unraveling this mystery.

Thegidi means dice. A good name for a suspense thriller as you never knows what is going to happen next. Director P.Ramesh has tried his best to keep the screenplay that way. One of the downfalls of the movie is the utilization of it characters. With the intention of the not revealing the mystery earlier he has struggled to use many of his characters. This would make you feel monotonous in parts of the movie. Given this is a debut venture it is not a bad script either.  Overall Thegidi would not disappoint you and deserves a watch for the plot.

Watchable

Genre, Malayalam Movies, Must Watch, Rating, Reviews, Suspense, Thriller

Memories

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Memories – is a Malayalam suspense thriller released in 2013.  A police officer is on long leave due to depression caused by killing of his wife and kid due to vengeance. He is summoned to pick up a difficult and challenging case involving serial murders. Was he able to pick it up, was he able to track the killer is the plot of memories.

Director Jeethu Joseph proves to be a great story teller. He has weaved the events very well and has unfolded the mystery very aptly. At the end you would walk out with a satisfaction of watching a nice movie. Prithviraj shines in the role of a depressed cop. Sujith Vassudev’s work on cinematography is a great plus for the movie. He has captured the essence of the narration brilliantly. Overall the movie keeps you guessing till the end and leaves you with good memories. If you are fan of suspense thrillers you will love this one.

Must Watch

Genre, Rating, Reviews, Suspense, Tamil Movies, Thriller, Worth a Watch

Villa – Pizza II

Villa – Pizza II – is a Tamil horror thriller film released in 2013. Jebin is an aspiring novel writer who is struggling against odds for financial stability post the loss in his father’s business. Post his father’s death he discovers that there is a villa in his name in Pondicherry. He goes there only to discover that the villa is full of paintings done by his father. To his shock many of the paintings were predicting incidents that would occur to him in the future. What happens next in the Villa is the plot of the film.

Director Deepan Chakravathy has done a pretty neat job for a first timer. He has been able to give a script that definitely engages the audience throughout. There are not many thrilling sequences that you would find in a horror film but the subject of science behind superstition keeps one interested. The best part of the movie is its length. Kudos to the director for keeping the length of the script under 90 minutes. It is always difficult to find a balance between science and myth. Naturally the story struggles when it tries to draw line between the two. If you don’t look for a path breaking answer of finding scientific reasons for all the myths (which the movie initially sets the expectation to deliver) you would not get disappointed.  Overall the movie is a watchable one for its crisp story line and production quality with the given budget.

Watchable